{"id":60,"date":"2008-07-25T13:22:33","date_gmt":"2008-07-25T21:22:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/?p=60"},"modified":"2021-12-18T13:30:07","modified_gmt":"2021-12-18T19:30:07","slug":"commentary-26-across-26-winters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/commentary-26-across-26-winters\/","title":{"rendered":"Commentary 26: Across 26 Winters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>And we&#8217;ve almost come to the end. \u00a0Generally speaking, endings are tough. \u00a0You need to tie up as many dangling threads as possible, leave the reader satisfied that reading the book was worthwhile, and try to go out on a memorable high note without it feeling abrupt or forced. \u00a0Let&#8217;s see how I did&#8230;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>So, what happens here? \u00a0After the bowling alley meeting in the last chapter, the old man blinked forward to the hospital where the narrator was on the old time machine. \u00a0He injected him with the syringe (that he still had in his possession from a version of the experiment in the further future), then grabbed him tightly by the arms to cut off his circulation. \u00a0This traps him back in time much like Nelson, but also gives him a little more control over his predicament with the addition of the injection.<\/li>\n<li>He wakes up back on his couch with his headphones on, exactly where he was before his second time travel trip back in Chapter 3. \u00a0The intent is to tease\/suggest that it was all a dream, even though it definitely wasn&#8217;t.<\/li>\n<li>Being able to switch to the second person after writing everything prior in the first person was very energizing.<\/li>\n<li>The <a title=\"Timely Persuasion - Alternate Ending\" href=\"http:\/\/www.timelypersuasion.com\/Ending.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">original ending<\/a> used to be very different starting at the point immediately after the narrator hears &#8220;Won One&#8221; on the radio.<\/li>\n<li>Having Nelson on a date with the redheaded girl in a new alternate timeline serves as a reminder that Nelson is still out there, as well as an illustration that the narrator was able to at least partly let go of both of his obsessions.<\/li>\n<li>I like the &#8220;confident confidant&#8221; line, as well as &#8220;were my romantic misses actually my missus?&#8221; \u00a0Ah, wordplay.<\/li>\n<li>Couldn&#8217;t resist the random &#8220;I am somewhere in the city, I am climbing up a fire escape&#8221; M. Ward lyric even though it had no bearing on the story. \u00a0In an earlier draft I had <a title=\"Timely Persuasion - Lyrical Poetry\" href=\"http:\/\/www.timelypersuasion.com\/Poems.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">the entire &#8220;I Am&#8221; poem<\/a> here, but realized that was overkill.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Why do I end up in the car so much?&#8221; is specifically for Nate Pepper&#8217;s benefit. \u00a0As I said before, he once pointed out that every story I write has a scene in a car.<\/li>\n<li>The &#8220;little sister got a boyfriend&#8221; line that the narrator remembers is a G. Love lyric from the future relative to when this scene takes place, with the implication being that his future self made him say it previously.<\/li>\n<li>I love how the opening lines to the final little section form a neat little triangle\/pyramid type shape.<\/li>\n<li>The &#8220;big reveal&#8221; if you want to call it that is the fact that our &#8220;narrator&#8221; has been secretly writing the entire book to himself from inside his own head and hiding it on a computer. \u00a0There are a few hints to this scattered within the text of the earlier chapters.<\/li>\n<li>The most interesting place to compare the alternate ending linked above to the actual ending is in the part about the characters not having names. \u00a0The first version felt too bitter and vindictive, as if the narrator hadn&#8217;t actually learned from his experience. \u00a0Here it is a little more subdued. \u00a0Yes, he still hates Nelson. \u00a0But he realizes that it&#8217;s not all that important in the scheme of things, and that it wasn&#8217;t all that rational to begin with. \u00a0&#8220;Maybe it doesn&#8217;t really matter in the long run.&#8221; \u00a0Once he&#8217;s learned to let go and not try to have everything both ways, he&#8217;s finally free to have a happy ending.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Hate needs a name&#8221; is also a possible clue to unlocking the epilogue.<\/li>\n<li>I am the walrus.<\/li>\n<li>There are 36 known musical references in this chapter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a title=\"Timely Persuasion - Across 26 Winters\" href=\"http:\/\/reader.timelypersuasion.com\/26.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Chapter Twenty-Six Online<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>And we&#8217;ve almost come to the end. \u00a0Generally speaking, endings are tough. \u00a0You need to tie up as many dangling threads as possible, leave the reader satisfied that reading the book was worthwhile, and try to go out on a memorable high note without it feeling abrupt or forced. \u00a0Let&#8217;s see how I did&#8230; So,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-behind-the-scenes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3pfx3-Y","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1421,"url":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/more-red-letter-dates\/","url_meta":{"origin":60,"position":0},"title":"More Red Letter Dates","author":"LBDG","date":"November 5, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The most famous red letter date in the history of time travel is November 5, 1955 from Back to the Future. Lesser known BTTF dates include: January 1, 1885 (Doc's trip to the Old West) September 2, 1885 (Marty's trip to the Old West) November 12, 1955 (Enchantment Under The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Time Travel&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Time Travel","link":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/category\/time-travel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/screenshot_86.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3375,"url":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/lbdg-commentary-25-livin-in-the-woods-in-a-tree\/","url_meta":{"origin":60,"position":1},"title":"LBDG Commentary 25: Livin&#8217; In The Woods In A Tree","author":"LBDG","date":"January 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Nerdy, encyclopedic musical knowledge comes in handy when you have a chapter set in a treehouse in need of a song title containing an apostrophe. Bonus points that it's also the title of Sybil Rosen's memoir of her life with Blaze Foley (though she and\/or her publisher added the missing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Behind the Scenes&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Behind the Scenes","link":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/category\/behind-the-scenes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/5b00be098b143.image_.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":28,"url":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/the-universal\/","url_meta":{"origin":60,"position":2},"title":"The Universal","author":"LBDG","date":"May 12, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Just got back from a weeklong trip to Boston for Jon Mack's wedding. Chapter commentary posts will resume tomorrow, but due to popular demand I'm posting my best man speech below: Can I have everyone's attention? I'd like to take a moment to thank all of you for coming together\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 1 comment","block_context":{"text":"With 1 comment","link":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/the-universal\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3347,"url":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/lbdg-commentary-23-aint-misbehavin\/","url_meta":{"origin":60,"position":3},"title":"LBDG Commentary 23: Ain&#8217;t Misbehavin&#8217;","author":"LBDG","date":"January 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The list of 27 is key to the plot and has an iterative behind the scenes origin story worthy of its own blog post. Thankfully it's pretty much the singular focus of this chapter, allowing time for a deep dive here. The 27 members of the 27 Club in Local\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Behind the Scenes&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Behind the Scenes","link":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/category\/behind-the-scenes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/RamMcCartneyalbumcover.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3130,"url":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/lbdg-commentary-10-if-the-shoe-fits\/","url_meta":{"origin":60,"position":4},"title":"LBDG Commentary 10: If The Shoe Fits","author":"LBDG","date":"July 29, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"After (or maybe technically before) the first draft, I had scenes set during Local Boy's \"normal\" life in the 1970s as well as excursions with the Redhead in the tan van. I knew each time LB had a vantastic adventure it would shake up his present, and roughly figured I'd\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Behind the Scenes&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Behind the Scenes","link":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/category\/behind-the-scenes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/oasis-stub.jpg.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/oasis-stub.jpg.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/oasis-stub.jpg.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/oasis-stub.jpg.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39,"url":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/remastered\/","url_meta":{"origin":60,"position":5},"title":"Remastered","author":"LBDG","date":"June 17, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday the new \"remastered\" paperback edition of Timely Persuasion went live. \u00a0How do you remaster a book? \u00a0Read on... The first version was a complete do it yourself project with the exception of the cover art that was graciously donated by Jos\u00e9 Roberto. \u00a0The text was laid out in Microsoft\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/remastered-setlist.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2668,"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60\/revisions\/2668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}